Why We Procrastinate

There are many reasons for procrastination. Aside from the desire to generate more ideas rather than take action on existing ones, another factor that discourages action is fear. We have fear of rejection or premature judgement. Many novelists and other artists admit that they are sitting on half-baked projects that have not been shared with anyone because they’re “just not ready yet.” But what if one never really feels ready?

Sometimes, to delay an action even longer, we resort to bureaucracy. Bureaucracy was born out of the human desire for complete assurance before taking action. We don’t want to take action, we find reasons to wait. We use “waiting” nicknames like “awaiting approval,” “following procedures,” further research,” or “consensus building.” However, even when the next step is unclear, the best way to figure it out is to take small incremental action. Constant motion is the key to execution. Scott Belsky, Making Ideas Happen: Overcoming the Obstacles Between Vision and Reality, 72

How is fear holding you back from executing? What incremental action can you take to push your next project forward?